Bullet Brain, Liquid Soul: A New Metaphor and a Strategy for Empowering Your Humanity and Improving Your Results

Dudley Lynch

Abstract

New ways of tracking changes in human thinking perceptual, belief-forming and decision-making skills began to emerge in the 1950s. By the arrival of the 21st Century, new paradigms for explaining how the brain processes information were well-advanced, most notably one based on the research and theory development of the late Clare W. Graves, a pioneering American evolutionary psychologist. The Graves model describes a stair-step path to mental, emotional and spiritual maturity that is closely tied to how a person's brain develops. In part, progress in advancing on this path is tied to the available complexity of ambient surroundings and the “openness” of a mind and its world-view to novelty. The author of this article concluded that Dr. Graves' work could benefit far more individuals and organizations than could be reached with conventional academic explanations. Achieving this outcome has been aided by a best-selling “how to” work developed by this author and an academic colleague. According to the authors of Strategy of the Dolphin: Scoring a Win in a Chaotic World, a key advance in human cognitive capabilities is understanding how to produce abundance while avoiding major pitfalls it can produce. This article explains the basis for, and provides a general overview of, what has been styled “the dolphin mindset” in both formal OD, HRD and creativity research and training circles and general business media outlets.